This blog post is sponsored by Shamrock Farms
New Year’s Eve went by quickly. And that’s a wrap of the holiday season for a lot of people. However, there is one more big holiday for Asian which is the Lunar New Year. As an Asian American, I always want to introduce the culture to the world, as well as incorporate American lifestyle into our family traditional culture. Today, I’m going to share a charcuterie board that would be perfect for Lunar New Year. Whether you’re hosting a dinner with some Asian friends, or you’re an Asian family celebrating Lunar New Year with American friends, this post is for you. Also, scroll down for the Creamy Garlic Cottage Cheese Dip recipe.
First, the dairy snacks!
Whenever I think about charcuterie boards, cheese is on top of the list. To be honest, our family didn’t grow up eating cheese in our daily meals. Now that we are introduced to lots of different types of cheese, we are excited to try them all. I personally choose the basic ones since we’re still new to having cheese as a snack. But this is totally optional based on your preferences. I also love having cheeses on our charcuterie board in case the guests have never tried any of the below Asian snacks before.
Now add the Asian snacks
If you have been to any Asian New Year party, you might have seen a party tray that is full of all the dried snacks. It’s a must actually. Therefore, I fill half of this charcuterie board with dried snacks. There are plenty of options from fruits to meat. Like I mentioned, if you are hosting friends who have never tried Asian snacks before, I would choose the snacks that are tasty and easy to eat. My favorites are:
- Dried shredded chicken with lime leaves that had a balancing taste between salty, sweet, and spicy. My daughter can eat them so it’s not very spicy.
- Asian spicy beef jerky. This type of beef jerky tastes totally different than the ones in national markets. It’s bold, sweet, and really spicy. You can taste the spices and herbs that were used in making them. The best thing is, it smells just as good as it tastes.
- Crunchy Peanut candy – a candy bar that is pre-divided into small bars for easy sharing. It’s sweet but not overly sweet. The perfect combination of brown sugar and crunchy peanuts.
- Dried seeds like watermelon seeds – roasted red & tiny seeds that are the most traditional item to have in the Lunar New Year tray; sunflower seeds; and pumpkin seeds.
- Dried fruits and veggies. Such as dried sweet potato strips, dried mango rolls, dried young coconut strips (it is hard to find a good one in the US), dried sugar coated ginger strips, dried sugar coated lotus seeds, raisins, and dried cranberries.
- Drinks!!! Since it’s a mixed style, you can prepare some red wine. However, serving the bird’s nest drink means you care for the guest’s health. You can easily search for its benefits.
Don’t forget the dips
While my charcuterie board is half full of Asian snacks which require no dips, the other half does. I center this charcuterie board with a homemade dip that would go well with the dairy snacks. I call it Creamy Garlic Cottage Cheese Dip. It’s smooth, creamy, balancing, and just super easy to make. Here is the recipe:
- 250 gr Shamrock Farms Cottage Cheese
- 50ml Shamrock Farms Heavy Whipping Cream
- 50ml Shamrock Farms Whole Milk
- 1/2 tsp salt + black ground pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sugar
- Blend all ingredients above in a blender until thick and smooth.
I choose Shamrock Farms Cottage Cheese because of its soft and mild flavor, farm-fresh superior taste, and delicate texture. I have been choosing Shamrock Farms since all their products start with pure, fresh milk from their family of local farms. My family can notice the farm-fresh flavor and richness. Plus, they are a local Arizona company. As an Arizonan, I’m so proud to support them. You can find more information on where to buy Shamrock Farms’ Cottage Cheese, and get a coupon to save $1 on any two Shamrock products by visiting ShamrockFarms.net/coupons or click here.
I hope you enjoy the dip recipe above, as well as the ideas for a Lunar New Year Charcuterie Board. If there are Asian dried snacks that you absolutely love, share with me in the comment section below. A big thanks to Shamrock Farms for partnering with me in this blog post sharing a part of Asian culture. I also shared an Easy Eggnog Cream Puff recipe on my blog, check it out.
